Roundabouts are a lot like politics: ask 10 people about them and you’ll get 10 different opinions. But they’re here to stay, for better or worse.
Last year, the Department of Transportation disclosed many intersections that had been converted into roundabouts did indeed see a spike in crashes, though it was also argued these lower-speed collisions prove to be safer for motorists.
Now, in the Town of Bethlehem, state agencies are furthering a study that aims to make roundabouts (or “traffic circles,” or “motor doughnuts,” or whatever you prefer) safer through better lighting and vegetation. We feel these increasingly prevalent features could be made considerably safer if drivers were better informed about how to drive them, and then followed those rules.
Most of the roundabouts in the Capital District are two-lane affairs, though there are a lot of one-lane approaches, as well. Planners tend to avoid three-lane roundabouts because they prove to resemble a three-ring circus.
So what’s a responsible driver to do? Well, the most basic rule of roundabouts is entering traffic must yield to traffic already in the circle. For motorists, every entrance effectively operates as a yield sign, and cars must also yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk or bicyclists using the roundabout either in the crosswalk or using a lane.
Once you have the sufficient space and time to enter the roundabout, you can hop into your lane and follow it to your exit. This is where things get tricky — but not if everyone follows the rules.
First of all, you’re supposed to use your right directional signal to tell other motorists when you’ll be exiting the circle. Do this as soon as you pass the exit before your intended egress. Looking at the anecdotal evidence, this is a rule that few drivers heed but could probably avert many accidents.
So, if you’re making a right-hand turn, you should put your turn signal on when entering the roundabout and hop right out. Going straight? You still need a signal. Turn on your blinker as you pass the first exit (in the case of a four-way intersection). Also, maintain your lane as you exit, meaning if you started out in the right lane you should come out there as well, instead of crossing over the interior lanes and clipping the apex like a Mario Andretti wannabe. Sorry, but your Taurus does not need to employ tail breaking under any circumstance.
These rules are simple enough. Where chaos can really come into play is during the left-hand turn. First of all, in many two-plus lane configurations, taking a left will require you to cross over into another lane while in the roundabout itself. Think about it—staying in the left lane all the way could mean you’d cross over a lane of traffic trying to go straight, and the results won’t be pretty.
If it’s a multi-lane roundabout, you must always approach the roundabout in the left lane to make a left turn. From there, stay in the left lane until just before you approach you exit, where you’ll make your switch the right lane and then leave the circle. Don’t forget to signal!
There will usually be pavement markings and signs directing you, especially when it comes to making the tricky left. This has come to be the most troublesome part of roundabouts … in the Town of Malta, for instance, the DOT ended up changing pavement markings to eliminate a lane from a busy roundabout, making left turns simpler.
We’d advise all drivers, especially those who took driver’s ed before roundabout became common, to check out more on these circular wonders and the rules dictating their use at www.dot.ny.gov/main/roundabouts.
